Observation is a critical step in science. Nurses and doctors make many repeated observations as they care for people. Farmers, transportation workers and mariners monitor the weather. Scientists measure chemicals in our water and air to test for safety and pollution. Bird watchers count eggs in nests and birds visiting feeders. Teachers give tests to see how much their students have learned.

How many times have you observed the weather outside when deciding what to wear? You may have stuck a toe or a hand in the water, to see how cool it is, before you enjoy a swim.

Through careful observation we can make important decisions and discoveries. We can detect problems and intervene before serious damage occurs. People use data to measure for progress toward a goal. Inventors observe something like a hummingbird hovering and then experiment (trial and error) to develop a flying machine that can hover, too.

When you do, you will see a bigger view. Notice that the cursor has morphed into a magnifying glass with a plus sign + in the middle. This signals that when you click on the image, an even closer view will appear. Try it.

When you do - notice that the cursor is now a magnifying glass which has a minus sign in it. Click on the photo to reduce it.

Use your browser's back button or History feature to return to the observation activity's web page.

Pennsylvania Academic Standards - The Nature of Science
Processes, Procedures and Tools of Scientific Investigations
• Apply knowledge of scientific investigation or technological design in different contexts to make inferences to solve problems.
• Use evidence, observations, or a variety of scales (e.g., time, mass, distance, volume, temperature) to describe relationships.

National Science Education Standards:
CONTENT STANDARD G: As a result of activities in grades 9-12, all students should develop understanding of:

NATURE OF SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE
Scientific explanations must meet certain criteria. First and foremost, they must be consistent with experimental and observational evidence about nature, and must make accurate predictions, when appropriate, about systems being studied. They should also be logical, respect the rules of evidence, be open to criticism, report methods and procedures, and make knowledge public. Explanations on how the natural world changes based on myths, personal beliefs, religious values, mystical inspiration, superstition, or authority may be personally useful and socially relevant, but they are not scientific.

Because all scientific ideas depend on experimental and observational confirmation, all scientific knowledge is, in principle, subject to change as new evidence becomes available. The core ideas of science such as the conservation of energy or the laws of motion have been subjected to a wide variety of confirmations and are therefore unlikely to change in the areas in which they have been tested. In areas where data or understanding are incomplete, such as the details of human evolution or questions surrounding global warming, new data may well lead to changes in current ideas or resolve current conflicts. In situations where information is still fragmentary, it is normal for scientific ideas to be incomplete, but this is also where the opportunity for making advances may be greatest.